Sunday, September 12, 2010

Courage Campaign on Mike Huckabee

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee -- a likely front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 -- is calling for the religious right to "turn this nation back to God, as Jesus is our only hope."

Yes, Huckabee actually said that in a video criticizing Judge Vaughn Walker's historic Prop 8 decision and imploring right-wingers to show up in Sacramento this weekend at "The Call" -- a mega-event designed to rally the religious right in response to the court ruling striking down Prop 8. Ten years ago, "The Call" event drew more than 400,000 people to Washington, D.C.

For Americans concerned about the separation of church and state, this leading presidential contender's words are harrowing. But what's even scarier is the man behind "The Call" that Huckabee is promoting: Lou Engle.

Apparently Huckabee is not disturbed by his promotion of Engle -- a man who reacted to the legalization of same-sex marriage in California in 2008 by calling for "martyrs" to become "God's Avengers of Blood" to stop the "homosexual agenda" at any cost, warning that:

"What happened to California will release a spirit that is more demonic than Islam, a spirit of lawlessness and anarchy. And a sexual insanity will be unleashed into the Earth."

The marriage equality movement is strongly supported by people of faith and supports the freedom to worship. But we will not condone religious fanaticism bordering on an incitement to violence. It's un-American.

We can't let Mike Huckabee and Lou Engle get away with their attacks on LGBT families or Judge Walker's Prop 8 decision. That's why Courage staffers are going to "The Call" this Friday to expose Lou Engle's extremism for the world to see on our Prop 8 Trial Tracker web site. Will you contribute $25, $50, $100 or more today to help us fight back and defend Judge Walker's decision?:

As activist Fred Karger highlighted recently, Huckabee's support for Engle comes just a few months after Huckabee compared same-sex marriage to incest, drug abuse and polygamy, going on to say that gay and lesbian couples should not be allowed to parent, because kids "aren't puppies."

On Tuesday, the extremist Pacific Justice Institute asked a California court to force Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to defend Prop 8 in court. Then 27 California Republican Assemblymembers wrote a letter to Schwarzenegger, pressuring him to defend Prop 8 as well.

From Mike Huckabee and Lou Engle to the Pacific Justice Institute and the National Organization for Marriage, Judge Walker's Prop 8 decision is under attack by the religious right. That's why we need your support now to cover the cost of our Prop 8 Trial Tracker coverage of "The Call" so we can hold these religious extremists accountable. Please contribute $25, $50, $100 or more now to help us fight back and defend Judge Walker's decision:

Thanks for standing with us today. As an organization dependent on the donations of our supporters, we really can't do it without you.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign Institute

Courage Campaign Institute is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in the Courage Campaign Institute, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.